Robbie MacNiven

This illustrated study reveals the crucial roles played by German troops and commanders fighting on both sides during the American Revolution. During the American Revolutionary War, the British Crown deployed hired German troops in its efforts to defeat the Patriots. Facing a steep learning curve, the newly established Continental Army – some of the soldiers in its ranks also German-speakers, notably those from Pennsylvania – faced these stolid regulars hailing from Hessen-Cassel, Braunschweig, and other German principalities. In this fully illustrated account, Robbie MacNiven assesses both sides’ combat effectiveness during three critical months of fighting in late 1776. At White Plains, New York (October 28, 1776), Hessian troops spearheaded a Crown Forces attack on Continental forces; the disciplined Germans turned the Patriot flank and forced the Continentals to withdraw in good order. At Fort Washington, New York (November 16, 1776), the Crown Forces inflicted a demoralizing defeat on their opponents, with the Hessians taking the surrender of the Continental garrison. At Trenton, New Jersey (December 26, 1776), the Continentals crossed the Delaware and surprised and defeated a complacent Hessian garrison consisting of three regiments. Featuring archive illustrations, specially commissioned artwork, and full-color mapping, this book exposes the grueling impact of the American Revolutionary War on both sides’ forces.

Fully illustrated, this is the second volume in a detailed study of the German auxiliary troops who fought for Britain in the American Revolutionary War. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–83), German auxiliary troops provided a vital element of the British war effort. While the largest body of German troops was from Hessen-Cassel (see the first volume of this study), the British also fielded troops from Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, Hessen-Hanau, Waldeck and Pyrmont, Brandenburg Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst. This volume also covers the Hanoverian soldiers involved in the sieges of Gibraltar and Menorca.Fighting on a host of battlefields from Saratoga to Yorktown, these hired soldiers provided the Crown Forces with much-needed manpower and contributed crucial combat skills in the form of the Jäger, renowned specialists in open-order warfare. Featuring eight specially commissioned artwork plates and an array of carefully chosen illustrations, many in colour, this lively study examines the organization, uniforms, weapons and equipment of these troops who fought for King George in the New World.